Bengaluru, July 25 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers J.P. Nadda to expedite the process of supply of 1.65 lakh metric tonnes of urea, as per the state’s allocation, in the interest of the farmers.

“There is a spurt in the demand for urea fertiliser and shortage is creating unrest among farmers,” he said in a letter to the Union Minister.

“The government of India has allocated 11,17,000 metric tonnes of urea to Karnataka for Kharif-2025, out of which the quality supplied till date is only 5,16,959 MT, whereas the state’s requirement of urea from April to July is 6,80,655 MT. Further, some of the fertiliser companies have expressed their inability to supply urea fertiliser as per the allocation made by the government of India,” CM Siddaramaiah stated.

Highlighting the urgent need for the supply of Urea in the state, he said: “The state has received monsoon early this year and at the same time, the area coverage under different crops has increased, compared to previous years. Early release of water in command areas of Tungabhadra, Cauvery, and Krishna has resulted in early sowing activity.”

“Area under maize, which is a high-fertiliser-consuming crop, has increased by about 2 lakh hectares, and area under pulses has decreased compared to previous years. About 13,000 hectares of pre-Kharif area have been resown.”

State Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy has appealed to farmers not to panic on the availability of fertilisers, including urea, and asked them to desist from advance stocking.

Farmers across the state are queuing up before fertiliser shops to get stocks following the alleged shortage of urea, which has further aggravated the situation in the state.

On the other hand, the opposition BJP has said that, following good monsoon rainfall across the state, farmers should be happily engaged in sowing. However, due to the negligence of the Congress-led Karnataka government, they are struggling without access to fertilisers.

“Had the Agriculture Department taken timely action and ensured an adequate stock of fertilisers when the monsoon rains began earlier than usual this year, farmers would not be facing this situation today. We would not have reached a point where our food providers are forced to take to the streets in protest,” Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka said.

To make matters worse, criminals have taken advantage of the fertiliser shortage and are selling it at double the price on the black market, leaving farmers even more distressed, he alleged.

In this regard, the Congress government in the state must immediately take appropriate steps to ensure the proper stocking and distribution of fertilisers. If not, in the coming days, Karnataka BJP will launch a strong agitation in support of the farmers, he said.

–IANS

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